Devastation as wildfires whip through Shuswap, destroying homes and forcing evacuations
Damage from Lower East Adams Lake wildfire still unknown; boil water advisory in effect for some areas
UPDATE — Aug. 20, 2023: Wildfire fight continues in B.C., with thousands out of their homes and buildings burned to the ground
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Two fast-moving British Columbia wildfires have burned down blocks of homes, stores and buildings in multiple communities in the Shuswap region, the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) confirmed Saturday.
Residents of more than 3,500 properties in the area had to evacuate on Friday and Saturday as "extreme fire behaviour" is expected to prompt more evacuation orders in the coming days, according to BCWS and local emergency officials.
"We're still going to have a very active and dynamic day and there's going to be challenges and dangers for our people," said Shuswap Emergency Operations Centre risk management officer John MacLean.
BCWS spokesperson Forrest Tower said northerly winds blew the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire into Scotch Creek and as far east as Celista on the north shore of Shuswap Lake, a popular tourist destination about 150 kilometres north of Kelowna.
Also overnight, the Bush Creek East fire, burning west of Adams Lake, burned into the Skwlax te Secwepemculecw community of Squilax and across Highway 1 between Chase and Sorrento, and began to climb Squilax Mountain on the lake's south shore.
Where evacuees should go
The CSRD is asking those evacuated to go to the evacuation centre at the Salmon Arm Senior Citizen Centre at 170 5th Ave. SE, or call 250-833-3350 for more information.
The reception centre for the Thompson Nicola Regional District is at the McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre, 1655 Island Pkwy. in Kamloops, which is accessible via Chase Creek Road.
All evacuees are also asked to register with the provincial portal.
Highway 1 cut off
The two fires have essentially merged and cut off access to Highway 1, which remains closed, according to the BCWS and Drive B.C.
BCWS could not confirm the number of homes or buildings burned down overnight and said it was still assessing the damage in Celista.
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However, Tower said the damage "is quite significant."
"Celista actually was hit worse than Scotch Creek and the fire essentially ran unsuppressed and unmitigated right through that community," he told CBC News.
The fire grew about 20 kilometres in 12 hours, which is among the fastest growth B.C. has seen for a wildfire, Tower said.
Some of the devastation was visible through thick smoke in Scotch Creek on Saturday afternoon.
Between blackened trees and brush, multiple blocks of buildings, including stores and homes, along with vehicles were destroyed and left charred by the flames that had since receded.
Metal hubcaps and debris were strewn in a sparsely forested area close to one building. Parked outside were vehicles without windows or tires.
The Scotch Creek/Lee Creek fire department and community hall building was completely destroyed.
On Friday, the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire prompted several evacuation orders in the Shuswap Lake area in what officials say is an "unparalleled crisis" and the "most devastating" day for fires in the region's history.
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) and First Nations in the area issued evacuation orders for the Scotch Creek, Lee Creek, Celista, Magna Bay and Little River areas on the north shore of Shuswap Lake on Friday night.
Those orders expanded to include parts of Sorrento and Skimikin Lake areas on the lake's south shore Saturday afternoon.
Widfire base camp evacuated, burned
A 400-person BCWS base camp evacuated overnight as well, forcing some staff to regroup in Kamloops.
Tower says some of the tents were burned Saturday morning but no one was injured.
"I don't know of another time where a 400-person camp was demobilized in three hours ... [about] 50 to 100 people ... had to take down tents and get everyone's personal gear and get all our laptops and all that kind of stuff down," he said.
MacLean said 5,700 residents in the region were under an evacuation order as of Friday night, and that number is expected to grow to 7,000 by the end of Saturday.
Harrowing evacuations
The Scotch Creek and Talana Bay bridges, parts of the main access route to Highway 1, were closed, and Scotch Creek residents were told to evacuate by boat Friday night.
"People could not come out to to the Trans-Canada Highway to get either to Salmon Arm or to Kamloops," said MacLean.
He said some people managed to get out thanks to help from a marine search-and-rescue group and "very dedicated and good-hearted volunteers."
The fire forced 135 properties to evacuate in Turtle Valley while residents of Chase and Sorrento were placed on evacuation alert by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.
"It was extremely challenging conditions to get people out," said Chapman on Saturday.
Kelly Featherstone-Schram said the mountainside looked like a "wall of fire" as she tried to drive east through Scotch Creek to get to her home in Anglemont on Friday night.
She turned around instead, driving back across the Scott Creek Bridge to take Highway 1 to stay with a friend in Salmon Arm.
"The entire mountainside adjacent to it was engulfed in flames and as I crossed over the bridge they were spraying the bridge with water," said Featherstone-Schram.
"And I knew at that point that as I was leaving, they were not even going to let me go back in."
Shuswap lake fire got a lot worse today. So much devastation. <a href="https://t.co/yRMCHNHCjK">pic.twitter.com/yRMCHNHCjK</a>
—@KrisCudmore1Her husband is a firefighter battling the blaze in Celista, but the couple's German Shepherd and cat are still at their home in Anglemont until he has time to get them.
"I left with pictures and important papers ... but I left the the dog and cat thinking that I would be returning that night and so my husband is having to fight the fire and our pets are in the house," she said, emotion rising in her voice.
"It's a really vulnerable feeling when you're separated from your family ...I have no way of making sure [my husband] is OK, right?"
Nikki Goyer and her fiancé were some of the last to drive on Highway 1 near Sorrento on Friday night.
"I was terrified, we were going out for dinner and I got a call from my brother and it's to pick up his wife from Sorrento. She had been ferried over from Scotch Creek," Goyer told Reuters.
"It was scary… not long after that, I found that they had closed the highway."
Goyer's brother and nephew stayed behind to protect their home, which was still OK as of Friday night, she said.
Boil water advisory
On Saturday morning, the CSRD and Interior Health issued a precautionary boil water advisory for residents from Sorrento east to the MacArthur Heights area near Blind Bay, due to concerns adequate water treatment is not being met.
Affected residents are advised to boil any water used for drinking, teeth-brushing or food preparation rapidly for at least one minute, add two drops of household bleach per litre of water, or use bottled water.
A little further south, the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival cancelled the remainder of the event on Saturday morning, citing concern for the safety of attendees, volunteers and the community as a whole.
Wildfires in B.C. have put an estimated 30,000 people out of their homes and more than 36,000 on evacuation alert, Premier David Eby said Saturday.
The province declared a state of emergency Friday night over the fires. On Saturday, it issued an emergency order to restrict non-essential travel for the purpose of staying in temporary accommodation such as a hotel, motel or campground.
With files from The Canadian Press and Reuters